Cheech Marin

A popular comedian who made the successful transition to dramatic actor, Cheech Marin earned his greatest fame as one-half of the stoned comedy duo, Cheech and Chong. Rising out of the counterculture...
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Four unique guitars belonging to Cheech And Chong star Cheech Marin were stolen from a private warehouse on Monday (22Sep14). The comedian is pleading for help to track down the one-of-a-kind instruments, which are valued at a total of $55,000 (£34,000).
Editors at TMZ.com report that the guitars were stolen from a Los Angeles warehouse where Marin keeps his collection of rare instruments, many of which are considered works of art.
Marin is said to be asking local artists to look out for the pieces as the culprits could try to sell them.
The star is set to reunite with his comedy partner Tommy Chong to make their first film together in 20 years. Last year (13), Cheech and Chong's Animated Movie was released.

Buena Vista Pictures via Everett Collection
Once upon a time, the phrases "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" were not a part of the American lexicon. That was before Disney's The Lion King exploded onto movie screens during the summer of 1994. The tale of the young lion Simba — voiced in the movie by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick — who grows up to overthrow the reign of his evil uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) became a global phenomenon, augmented by the songs of Elton John and Tim Rice. Even if you know that the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, here are some fun facts about the movie that you might not know.
1. The movie was the first Disney feature-length animated film to be created from an original script idea. All of the company's other animated movies had been based either on books or long established fairy tales.
2. The original script was titled King of the Jungle and centered on a battle between lions and baboons. In that version, Scar was the leader of the baboons. At some point during development, the animation team realized that lions don't actually live in the jungle.
3. At one point in the production, animators considered having the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sung entirely by Pumbaa and Timon, much to the horror of John and Rice. A version of the song using Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, the voices of the warthog and meerkat, was recorded but not used. Similarly, the song was almost cut from the movie entirely until John lobbied to have it kept in.
4. Many of Disney's top animators at the time didn't work on The Lion King because they were working on the animated film being produced concurrently, Pocahontas. Most people at Disney thought that the historically-based film would be the more prestigious of the two.
5. It was the second Disney animated film, after Beauty and the Beast, to win the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.
6. When Irons' Scar delivers the line, "You have no idea," it is a direct nod to one of the actor's most famous roles as Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune. In that film, Irons' character delivers the line in answer to his lawyer calling him a "very strange man." In The Lion King, he says it after Simba accuses him of being "so weird."
7. Timon's famous line, "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and dance the hula?" was improvised by Lane.
8. When Irons strained his voice while recording "Be Prepared," actor Jim Cummings, who voices the hyena Ed, stepped in and imitated Irons to get the song finished.
9. Originally, the intention was to pair Cheech Marin with his longtime comedy partner Tommy Chong to voice the hyenas Shenzi and Bonzai. They could never get in touch with Chong to reach an agreement, so Whoopi Goldberg was tapped instead.
10. James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair, who voice Simba's parents, also play a royal husband and wife in Coming to America, where they reign as the king and queen of a small African country and parents to Eddie Murphy.
11. Scar makes an appearance in a later Disney animated movie. He's seen as a rug during a sequence in Hercules.
12. There was a controversy over the formation of dust during a scene when Simba flops on the ground. Activist Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, asserted that the dust gathered to form the word "SEX" if you looked at a freeze frame of the scene and was an intentional subliminal message aimed at promoting sexual promiscuity. The producers said that really it was meant to be "SFX," as a reference to the special effects team that was working on the movie. In the films rerelease, some additional dust was added to the scene to blur any letters.
13. There was additional controversy over similarities between the film and a Japanese animated TV series entitled "Kimba the White Lion" that was produced in the 1960s. Disney has maintained that any similarities are coincidental, but Broderick has admitted that he thought that they were adapting "Kimba" when he first saw the script.
14. Three of the songs from the film — "Hakuna Matata," "The Circle of Life," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" — were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" ultimately won the Oscar, and John's version of the song went to No. 4 on the singles chart in the U.S.
15. Rice, who had provided the lyrics for Disney's Aladdin and started his career as the partner of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita), was made a knight by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. John was knighted in 1998. The duo reteamed for the Broadway musical Aida in 2000.
16. Before playing Timon and Pumbaa, Lane and Sabella had previously worked together in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. After The Lion King, they were paired again on Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. At first, Lane and Sabella were cast to be two of the hyenas, but their chemistry was so good that they were switched to voicing Simba's pals.
17. Lane and Broderick went on to star as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom in the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks' The Producers, and reprised the same roles in the film version. Reportedly, the duo saw each other only once during their voice work for The Lion King… passing each other in a hallway.
18. The stage version of The Lion King, which has been running since 1997, is the highest-grossing Broadway show in history.
19. The Lion King was the second highest grossing movie of 1994, behind Forrest Gump, in the United States, but it easily outdistanced Tom Hanks' movie worldwide and grossed over $768 million during its initial theatrical release.
20. The Lion King remains the highest grossing hand-drawn (or hand-drawn/computer animation combination) film of all time. It's the second highest grossing film in the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios behind only Frozen.
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Magnolia Pictures via Everett Collection
The Twilight Saga is one of the most financially successful film franchises in history... which is perplexing, considering that the movies aren’t any good. For better or worse, the series has renewed audience interest in vampiric mythology, as exemplified by the success of The Vampire Diaries and the proliferation of more vampire films and television shows each year. This is fine, but those who believe that Twilight represents the best of vampire movies clearly haven’t seen much else. In order to correct this, below are 10 vampire movies that are better than Twilight.
Nosferatu
Nosferatu is widely regarded as one of the most influential horror movies ever made. See it for the haunting visuals that represent the best of German Expressionism, and the terrifying depiction of evil on the actors’ faces. Unlike other silent films, Nosferatu isn’t dated, and still holds up to many horror films released today.
Let the Right One In
The American remake with Chloe Moretz doesn’t match the brilliance of this Swedish masterpiece by Tomas Alfredson. Essentially, Let the Right One In is Twilight for grown-ups, and it’s a reminder that vampire movies can be smart and sophisticated. The final climactic scene in the pool, in particular, is a work of art.
Near Dark
Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark isn’t as well-known as her Oscar-winning war flick The Hurt Locker, but it’s one of the best movies she’s ever made, and one of the coolest vampire films you’ll see. Even if you don’t care about Bigelow’s sly commentary on ennui and despair in Middle America, you’ll get a kick out of the lunatic vampires on display.
Thirst
Even if you don’t like subtitles, it’s impossible to resist Chan-wook Park’s Thirst. Not quite an art-house experiment, not quite a horror film, Thirst is best understood as a melancholy love story. Be forewarned: it’s violent, sexual, and a little disturbing.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Everyone has their favorite version of this story, but mine is Francis Ford Coppola’s widely misunderstood rendition with Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins. Perhaps Coppola was never able to escape the high expectations he set for himself with The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, but his version of Dracula remains the most moving vampire film ever made.
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Before Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown made him a star, Roman Polanski directed The Fearless Vampire Killers, an incredibly funny take on the vampire mythology. The film is worth seeing for its successful slapstick humor and satirical point of view.
From Dusk Till Dawn
Quentin Tarantino. Robert Rodriguez. Harvey Keitel. George Clooney. Juliette Lewis. Salma Hayek. Cheech Martin. Danny Trejo. Enough said.
The Hunger
Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon star in The Hunger, a movie so bonkers it isn’t worth explaining. All you need to know is that it’s director Tony Scott’s first movie, and that Deneuve plays a vampire.
Martin
Horror master George A. Romero shows everyone how it’s done with Martin, a story about a teenage boy who may or may not be a vampire. Romero is known for his zombie films, but Martin proves that he’s a master in more than one horror sub-genre.
Interview with the Vampire
In order to truly appreciate Interview with the Vampire, you need to understand that director Neil Jordan turned a hopelessly sappy novel into a surprisingly mature motion picture. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise play everyone’s favorite vampires (before Robert Pattinson stole their thunder), and Kirsten Dunst gives a star-making performance.
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Iconic stoner duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are set to reunite on the big screen for a new film. The actors are teaming up with The Dukes of Hazard director Jay Chandrasekhar for their first official movie together since 1983's Still Smokin'.
Chong tells Celebstoner.com, "(Chandrasekhar) is working a script right now for us. We've had some preliminary meetings. It looks really good. It looks really funny. It's about us going to a festival called the Burning Joint. All sorts of shenanigans happen. It's going to be a lot of fun."
Last year (13), Cheech and Chong's Animated Movie was released and although the duo approved the film, they were not involved with it.
Chong continues, "It was not done with our involvement. They animated the old records. I thought for what they had it was great. We didn't have to write anything. All Cheech and I had to do was look at it and go yeah or no. I liked it."
Cheech and Chong are hoping to start filming Burning Joint this summer (14).

WENN
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, and Christina Applegate will star in Book of Life, an animated feature from the twisted mind of Guillermo del Toro.
Jorge Gutierrez is directing Book of Life, which centers around Manolo, a young man who embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds, where he must brave his biggest fears.
The cast also includes Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Ron Perlman (duh!), and a bevy of actors including Cheech Marin, Hector Elizondo, Placido Domingo, and Ana de la Reguera. Given the cast and the information released about the film, it seems that the feature is going to have a rich Latin flair. It is also being reported that the film will offer a fresh take on current pop songs.
Del Toro is known for his ability to create impressive and imaginative visuals with gothic undertones. We’re excited to see what a visionary director can do with a full-length animated movie, especially after watching his creepy Simpsons opener that still has us checking under the couch for monsters. Even though del Toro is only producing, we're positive that his vision and influence will spill into all aspects of production.
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The actor, who died in November (12), will be one of the celebrities featured in I Get That A Lot, in which stars masquerade as ordinary people and act like they're not famous when they're recognised.
Hagman filmed his segment in September (12), and appears as a salesman offering free samples of barbecue sauce, according to TV Guide.
The special, which will air in the spring (13), will also feature Jane Seymour and comedian Cheech Marin.

A Chevrolet truck smashed through the fence of the East Los Angeles home last week (ends31Aug12) and onto the lawn, according to TMZ.com.
Three decades ago, Cheech &amp; Chong lost control of their van and drove through the fence for the movie.

Pass the dutchie this way, you guys. Turns out stoner comedian extraordinaire, Tommy Chong, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Chong, during an appearance on CNN Saturday night, revealved that he is suffering from stage one diagnosis. Chong--who is most well-known for his work with Cheech Marin and in their 1978 film Up In Smoke, which followed the misadventures of the stoner duo--was on Don Lemon's program to discuss the decriminalization of the use and selling of marijuana.
Surprisingly, Mr. Chong explained that he no longer actually smokes marijuana (quit about a year ago "for health reasons" he explained), but instead ingests hemp oil at night as a treatment for his prostate cancer. He went on to explain that the cause "means a lot more to me than just being able to smoke a joint without being arrested" now. Previous to his diagnosis, Chong claims he had actually been drug-free for about three years.
Chong further explained that he first noticed symptoms about eight years ago while in jail for selling drug-related items, but was officially diagnosed about a month ago. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the star.
[CNN]
[Image via Getty]
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More:
The Top 10 Stoner Movies of All Time
Cheech &amp; Chong's Up In Smoke Movie Stills

Rob Schneider has small roles in most of his buddy Adam Sandler’s movies that inexplicably, and invariably, become blockbusters. Said movies are pretty much uniformly terrible (not including Punch Drunk Love and Funny People, which are entirely cut from a different cloth), crass, crude, easy, broad, occasionally vaguely racist, etc. Here’s where I’m going with this: Schneider’s new sitcom, ¡Rob!, makes any of those movies – even Jack and Jill – look like [insert your pick for the best movie of all time]. It is indeed SO lowbrow, SO altogether God-awful, it’s as though the Adam Sandler Movie Goons (aka the team of geniuses, including the Sand Man himself, responsible for conceiving and writing his “comedies”) farted out – or at least fart-noised out – the ¡Rob! idea and deemed it not worthy of exploring … and CBS came in and said, “We’ll give it a shot. Nobody seems to mind the borderline racism on 2 Broke Girls!”
In reality, the concept is Schneider’s, “loosely based on his whirlwind romance and marriage to Patricia Azarcoya Arce, a TV producer from Mexico," according to CBS. Schneider plays a "landscape architect" named, oddly enough, Rob, who in the first few minutes of the show has just married his ridiculously out-of-his-league girlfriend, Maggie (Claudia Bassols). What should be newlywed bliss turns into anxiety when Maggie says she wants to go tell her parents of the nuptials, in person. And there’s an even bigger problem: Maggie’s parents (Cheech Marin and Diana Maria Riva), and the rest of her family, are Mexican! Dun-dun-dun (or womp-womp-womp, as it were). Naturally, things don’t go well when Rob and Maggie meet the parents. It’s stuff we all go through, though: perpetuating broad racial stereotypes, winding up in a sexual position with a grandmother (Lupe Ontiveros). That’s right! True to Adam Sandlerian form, it doesn’t take long for the incredible hijinks to lead to Rob finding his way to “Abuelita’s” room, losing his pants, quasi-groping her from behind and getting caught by almost everyone. Comedy! The pilot episode is the equivalent of that gag, repeated between commercial breaks, punctuated by an attempt at tenderness to close the show. Which fails, but needless to say, is the best moment. Comic relief in the truest sense.
¡Rob! is a bad show on two levels: The writing is horrendous, and it is genuinely mildly offensive and racist. We’re not prudes – culture clash is great fodder for awkward, subtle humor; see Modern Family, for one – but there’s a right way to churn laughs out of this subject and a wrong way. Smarter comedians (Louis C.K. comes to mind) might reference specific examples of something funny that happened to them; ¡Rob! and its star/creator, on the other hand, are very content to rely on and resort to caricatures of the people at whom they’re trying to poke "good-natured" fun. I mean, the mere mention of the word “guacamole” sets off the howling laugh track – as do lines like “It feels like I’m at a Julio Iglesias concert” (on a side note, it’s amazing to think how much doesn't make it past the standards people, but that one? No problem.) and “These people – they’re all Mexican?”
Schneider, too, has less than zero appeal as a protagonist – which isn’t to say he’s deplorable, but there’s absolutely nothing compelling, as has always been the case. If forced at gunpoint to find a bright spot, Cheech Marin (oh, poor Cheech) would be it almost by default. It’s sad to see him playing such a character on such a show, but at least he seems to be giving it his all, elevating the worst lines imaginable to … something barely above that. There’s genuinely so very much sad about this show. It’s bad; really bad. Maybe even too bad to become CBS’ next hit sitcom.

The first batch of footage for the upcoming CBS sitcom Rob is here in the form of a featurette, which also includes interviews with the series' star/co-writer/resident Happy Madison feature fixture Rob Schneider, director Jamie Widdoes, and several of the cast members. The series plays on the traditional theme of clashing families, in the vein of Everybody Loves Raymond, Dharma and Greg, and many others.
Schneider plays the titular Rob, who impulsively marries Maggie (Claudia Bassols), a young, attractive Mexican-American woman with a colossal extensive family, none of whom care too much for Rob upon meeting him. Her parents (Cheech Marin and Diana Maria Riva) are especially displeased with him, which is only augmented after a "bad timing" interraction between Rob and Maggie's grandmother (Lupe Ontivero). Then there's Uncle Hector (Euginio Derbez), who is scheming to earn a permanent place in Maggie's parents' American home.
Rob premieres Thursday, Jan. 12 on CBS.
Source: AV Club

Re-teamed with Chong for a small but pivotal part in Martin Scorsese's "After Hours"

Debut as a TV series regular, played the recently divorced Mexican chef Chuy Castillos on the CBS sitcom spin-off "The Golden Palace"

Feature directing debut, "Born in East L.A." (also wrote screenplay and lyrics for the title song)

Again teamed with director Robert Rodriguez for "Once Upon A Time In Mexico"

Summary

A popular comedian who made the successful transition to dramatic actor, Cheech Marin earned his greatest fame as one-half of the stoned comedy duo, Cheech and Chong. Rising out of the counterculture of the late 1960s, Cheech and Chong went on to become one of the top comedy the 1970s and early 1980s, thanks to their vulgar, low-brow humor centered on racial stereotypes and a never-ending quest to score good marijuana. Cheech and Chong hit their stride with a string of hit comedy albums, including the top-selling <i>Big Bambu</i> (1972) and the Grammy-winning <i>Los Cochinos</i> (1973). They translated their album success into the hit movie, "Up in Smoke" (1978), which spawned five sequels and earned new fans of all ethnic and racial stripes with each successive generation. Marin went his own way with "Born in East L.A." (1987) and eventually segued over to television drama with a scene-stealing run on "Nash Bridges" (CBS, 1996-2001). He also had a highly successful second career as a voiceover actor with performances in "The Lion King" (1994) and "Cars" (2006), while serving as director Robert Rodriguez's go-to character actor in such films as "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), "Spy Kids" (2003) and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003). By 2008, after years of speculation, Marin reunited with Tommy Chong for a sold-out tour, proving that both actors were still enormously attractive to a generation born decades after they made their first impact on popular culture.

Education

An avid art collector, Marin actively works to build his collection of Chicano art, reportedly the largest owned by a private citizen.

Marin volunteers time to such organizations as El Rescate and the Inner City Arts Council.

Marin won the 1992 "Celebrity Jeopardy!" championship on the popular syndicated gameshow.

His first memories of Cheech and Chong in L.A.: "We stayed with Tommy's wife, and we'd come in at four in the morning and crash on the couch. A couple of hours later, Tommy's daughter, Rae (Dawn Chong) would turn on the TV, full blast, next to my head. Rae would look at me like, 'Don't you dare say anything!'" - From Movieline magazine, July 1996

About his breakup with Tommy Chong: "We ran out of drug jokes, and it wasn't politically correct anymore. I didn't want to play those chords - it was boring. I wanted to get the characters involved in dramatic situations. Tommy was real resistent." - Marin in Entertainment Weekly, Feb. 4, 1994

Comparing his 10-year process escaping his stoner persona to surfing: "Sometimes, no waves, man. So you pretend the little ripple is a wave, and you ride that. But if you're not in the water, you're not gonna be there when the big wave comes." - From the New York Post, Aug. 15, 1996